Just 20 minutes of walking a day can help people improve their mental health.
That’s according to researcher George Mammen, at the University of Toronto (U of T).
He recently co-authored a study of more than 26 years’ worth of research reports.
He says the reports show that someone who is physically active is less likely to become depressed later in their life.
Most scientists agree that regular exercise is important for people’s physical health. It can help prevent diseases like stroke, heart disease and cancer.
And previous studies have shown that exercise can help to treat depression. However, Mammen’s report is the first of its kind to focus on the use of moderate exercise to help people prevent depression, according to the U of T News website.
Walking or gardening for even 20 minutes a day can help stave off depression, according to the review.
Most people agree that exercise can make you feel good right afterwards. This study shows that the mental health benefits of exercise continue long after you’ve stopped exercising.
George Mammen has some advice for people looking to feel better.
“If you’re currently active, you should sustain (keep doing) it,” he said. “If you’re not physically active, you should initiate (start) the habit. This review shows promising evidence that the impact of being active goes far beyond the physical.”
Related Link
Read the article on the U of T News website.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
By Jonathan Tilly
Writing/Discussion Prompt
Today’s article explains just some of the benefits of exercise. Why do you think exercise is important? What do you do to stay active?
Reading Prompt: Purpose
Reading a text can entertain you, amuse you, inform you, etc.
What is the purpose of today’s article? How do you know?
If you could share today’s story with someone, who would it be? Why might they find it interesting?
Junior & Intermediate
Identify a variety of purposes for reading and choose reading materials appropriate for those purposes (OME, Reading: 1.2).
Grammar Feature: Suffixes
Words can be changed by adding or taking away letters. When letters are attached to the end of a word, they are said to be given a suffix. Therefore, a suffix is a group of letters attached to the ending of a root/base word in order to change its meaning. Today’s story includes many words that have different suffixes. The following words show how a root + suffix = can change the meaning of a root word:
1. Depress + sion = depression
2. Physical + ly = physically
3. Promise + ing = promising
4. Action + ive = active
What other suffixes have you read before? Write 3 examples of how they can change the meaning of a root word.
